Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Godfather Death" is a dark, lyrical retelling of a traditional Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, blending themes of fate, mortality, and the hubris of man. Sexton’s version transforms the folk tale into a vivid and haunting narrative poem, where the inevitability of death is portrayed not only as a grim reality but also as an inescapable force that governs the lives and fates of all, even those who attempt to outwit it.

The poem begins with a call to "Hurry, Godfather death," establishing death as an active, almost impatient force. The speaker invokes Death as "Mister tyranny," a figure of ultimate power who dictates the terms of life and death without any regard for human desires or protests. The description of each message Death gives as having "a dance to it" and "a fish twitch" infuses the figure of Death with a sinister playfulness, suggesting that death, while inevitable, is also capricious, unpredictable, and, in a macabre way, alive.

Sexton’s Godfather Death is not a skeletal figure cloaked in darkness, but rather a complex, multi-faceted character. When a man with twelve children seeks a godfather for his thirteenth child, both God and the devil refuse the role—God, depicted as a "skeleton wearing his bones like a broiler" with "righteousness like a swastika," is too rigid and authoritarian; the devil, "wearing his streets like a whore," is too corrupt and base. Only Death, with "a one-eyed jack in his hand," steps in, offering a grim promise to the child: to be a physician, "the one wise one, the one never wrong," guided by Death himself.

The child grows up to be a doctor, one who can tell with certainty who will live and who will die, depending on where Death stands by the patient’s body. This power elevates him beyond kings and politicians; he is "more famous than the king" and possesses wisdom that "outnumbered him," implying that his knowledge and power have grown beyond his control or comprehension.

However, this gift from Death is not without its limitations. When the doctor attempts to cheat Death to save the king and later the king's daughter, he oversteps his bounds. The imagery Sexton employs is striking: the doctor "swiveled that king like a shoebox," showing his disregard for the natural order, and his love for the king's daughter, described as "ripe as a tangerine" with "breasts purred up and down like a cat," leads him to defy Death once more.

But Death is not so easily fooled. The poem's climax occurs when Death leads the doctor to a cave filled with candles, each representing a person's life. The doctor’s candle is "no bigger than an eyelash," signifying that his time is almost up. Despite his pleas for more time, for his candle to be relit, Death refuses. The poem ends with Death placing "a finger on his back / for the big blackout, / the big no," marking the doctor’s ultimate demise.

Through this retelling, Sexton explores the futility of trying to outmaneuver death. The doctor, despite his wisdom and power, falls prey to the very force he thought he could control. The poem reflects on the arrogance of humans who believe they can defy natural laws and the tragic consequences that follow such hubris.

"Godfather Death" also delves into the nature of power and its limitations. The doctor’s knowledge gives him a god-like ability, but it also isolates him and ultimately leads to his downfall. The inevitability of death is depicted as the great equalizer, rendering all attempts at escape or defiance pointless. In the end, no one can escape the "big no," the final negation that death represents.

Sexton’s use of vivid, often unsettling imagery—such as the doctor’s crotch turning "blue as a blood blister" and Death turning the doctor "over like a camp chair"—creates a visceral, almost grotesque atmosphere that underscores the poem’s dark themes. Her portrayal of death is neither romantic nor tragic; it is a cold, inescapable reality that governs all life.

In "Godfather Death," Anne Sexton masterfully reinterprets a classic tale, imbuing it with her own unique voice and perspective. The poem serves as a meditation on mortality, power, and the ultimate futility of human ambition in the face of death’s inexorable march. Through her stark, powerful language, Sexton reminds us that no matter how much we might strive, scheme, or love, we are all subject to the same fate, dictated by the unyielding hand of death.

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